The number of pastors who have given serious consideration to quitting full-time ministry has risen dramatically over the past year. Why are pastors so burned out? New data highlight the main reasons two in five pastors have thought about leaving ministry—as well as some reasons pastors have determined to stay.

Stress, Isolation & Political Division Factor into Pastors’ Desire to Quit As of March 2022, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year sits at 42 percent. This is consistent with data from fall 2021 when Barna first reported on a sharp increase in pastoral burnout, and it confirms the growing number of pastors who are considering resignation—up 13 percentage points from 29 percent in January 2021.

What reasons do pastors give when asked why they’ve thought about stepping down for good? Stress, loneliness and political division are the three items that rise to the surface.

Over half of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry (56%) say “the immense stress of the job” has factored into their thoughts on leaving. Beyond these general stressors, two in five pastors (43%) say “I feel lonely and isolated,” while 38 percent name “current political divisions” as reasons they’ve considered stepping away.

Leaders Who Haven’t Considered Quitting Are Still Challenged So what about the pastors who haven’t considered quitting full-time ministry? While these leaders aren’t feeling the need to leave ministry, they still experience a number of tensions. In fact, their top challenges are the same as those named by pastors considering resignation.